Mechanical gun and projectile for training dogs



March 12, 1957 K. E. VAUGHN MECHANICAL GUN AND PROJECTILE FOR TRAINING DOGS Filed April 15., 1955 m1 .EPN QS Q.

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INVENToR. AEA/NE/f .5. VA I/G//A/ J BY United vStates arent' if MECHANICAL GUN AND PROJECTILE FOR TRAINING DOGS This invention relates to a device for use in training bird dogs.

It is well known that in the training of a dog for bird hunting, it is necessary to teach the dog to retrieve birds, and yet not become frightened at the sound of a gun explosion. To this end, this invention has for its principal object, the provision of a device which can propel a bird simulating projectile some distance from the trainer for the dog to retrieve upon proper signal, and at the same time produce a loud report simulating the noise of a gun being lired.

Oth-er objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description, forming the specification, and taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view, partially in section, of an animal training device embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation, similar to Figure l, but showing the projecting means after it has been released to propel the projectile shownl thereon in Figure l therefrom;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken through the projecting mechanism, with the stock, barrel, and projectile shown fragmentarily;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of one form of projectile; and

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of another form of projectile.

With continued reference to the drawings, the illustrated animal training device, generally indicated atl 10, comprises a projecting gun 12, and a projectile 14 to be projected from the gun. The gun 12 has a stock 16 of usual form, a mechanism casing 18 secured to and extending forwardly from the stock 16, and a barrel 20 extending forwardly from the casing 18. v v

The forward end 22 of the barrel 20 is completely closed by an end wall 24 and with a buier pad 26 on the rear surface of the end wall 24. Therear end of the barrel is closed by an end Wall 28, andthe rear end `portion of the barrel projects rearwardly'into the hollow interior of the casing 18, as shown in Figure 3, with a screw traversing and securing the end wall 28 to the casing 18. The rear end portion of the barrel 2li projects into the casing 18 through an opening 32 in the forward end 33 of the casing.

A plunger 34 is slidably engaged in the barrel 20 and is in the form of a hollow cylinder having a closed forward end 36 and an open rear end 35, and receives therein the forward end of an expanding coil spring 3S whose rear end bears against the forward side of the rear end wall 28 of the barrel 20. The plunger 34 is provided near its forward end with a laterally extending guide pin 40 which works in a longitudinal guide Aslot 42 in the lower side wall of the barrel. The guide slot 42 extends from a point adjacent the forward end wall f. iQ l to a location adjacent the forward end 33 of the casing 18 but spaced forwardly therefrom, as shown in Figure'3.

The projectile 14 comprises a tube 44 whose opposite ends are provided with outwardly extending annular flanges 46 and 48. The bore of the tube 44 is such that it slidingly receives the barrel 26 so that the projectile can be mounted upon the barrel for sliding movement therealong. A preferably spherical body 50 having a protective outer covering 52 is encirclingly carried by the tube i4 and has one end thereof disposed against the forward liange 46 with the other end of the covered body adjacent the rear flange 48, The projectile 14 is intended to simulate a game bird for pulposes of training.

In Figure 2 the plunger projecting spring 38 is shown as fully expanded with the plunger having its forward end 36 adjacent the rear surface of the end wall 24 of the barrel and with an impact button 54 on the forward end of the plunger engaging the buffer pad 26, the projectile 14 having been driven along the barrel 20 and projected from the lforward end of the barrel. ln order to cock the projecting mechanism, a projectile is engaged on the forward end of the barrel, and moved rearwardly on the barrel so that the rear llange 48 engages the guide pin 48 and the plunger is pushed rearwardly within the barrel against the resistance of the projecting spring 38 to the cocked position shown in Figure 3.

A retaining means is provided in the casing 18 for maintaining the projectile and the plunger in the cocked positions shown in Figure 3. This means comprises a lever 58 pivotally mounted intermediate its ends, as at 60, in a lower part of the casing 18. The lever 58 is positioned in a longitudinally extending passage 62 in the lower part of the casing, and has an upwardly projecting hook 64 on its forward end. The hook 64 is arranged to engage the forward side of the rear liange 48 so that the projectile is maintained with its rear flange 4S in abutting relation against the pin 48 of the plunger 34 and the plunger is in its cocked position against the resistance of the spring 38. The forward side of the hook 64 is beveled, as indicated at 65, so that as the projectile is moved rearwardly and its rear ange 48 engages the bevel 65, the lever 58 is displaced `downwardly to pass the llange 48 behind the hook 64.

The rear end of the rst or projectile retaining lever 5S is bifurcated to provide a pair of ears 66. The forward end 68 of a second lever 70 is engaged between the ears 66 and is traversed by a pin 72 passing through aligned elongated longitudinal slots 74 provided in the ears 66 so that a pin and slot connection is provided between the levers 78 and 58. The second lever 70 is pivoted intermediate its ends, as at '76, in the casing 18 behind the lever 58. The rear end of the second lever 70 has thereon an upwardly projecting hook 76' adapted to engage behind the lo-wer end 78 of a hammer 80.

The hammer Sti is vertically elongated and is mounted intermediate its ends on a pivot pin 82 extending across and secured to the casing 18 for pivotal movement of the upper portion of the hammer toward and away from an anvil 84 carried on the upper wall 8:3' of the casing 18 and secured thereto as by screws 86. The upper end of the hammer is in the form of a head 88 arranged to strike the anvil 84 as the hammer head is moved forwardly. A small amount of gun powder, or other explosive, is suitably contained in a strip or piece of paper, such as a cap, (not shown), and is adapted to be placed in slots 8'7 in the anvil 84 so that it will'be exploded with a `sharp report upon impact of thehammer head 88 thereon.

A hammer retracting or cooking rod 98 extends longitudinally in the casing 18 at the underside of the top wall thecasing front opening so as to contact the rear flange 8 of aA projectile in retained position on the barrel 20. As the projectile is moved into the position shown in Figure 3, the rod 90 is thereby moved rearwardly in the casing so that its rear end $1' engages a boss 92 formed on the forward face of the upper portion `of the hammer S0above the pivot 82. This causes the hammer head 88 to be moved rearwardly away from theanvil 84 and compress a hammer driving coil spring 94 housed in a socket 96 in the rear end 97 of the casingv i8, as shown in Figure 3.

A coil spring 93 is stretched between the rear err the second lever 70 and a point on the casing rear end 9? above and to the rear of the rear end of the lever 79 so that the spring 93 resiliently urges and maintains the hook 76 in engagement with and behind -th'e lower end 78 of the hammer 80.

The casing 1.3 has a trigger guard i beneath the levers 58 and 70, and a trigger E02 having a depending ingcr piece 104, is disposed within the guard. The trigger 102 is eccentrically pivoted to the lower part of the casing on a pin 106 and has an enlarged semi-circular upper cam portion 10S engaging the undersides of the levers 5S and 70 at their point of connection with each other.

As the trigger 102 is rotated-in a clockwise direction from the position shown in Figure 3, by a rearward pull upon the finger-piece 04, the enlarged cam portion 16S will cani the connected ends of the levers 58 and 7i) upwardly so that the free end of the lever 5S moves in a clockwise direction and the free end of the lever 70 moves in the `opposite or counterclockwise direction, whereby the respective hooks 64 and 7o are disengaged from their hammer and projectile retaining positions, shown in Figure 3, so as to simultaneously release the projectile, thc plunger 34, and the hammer 80.

As the hook 64 is disengaged from the projectile ange being trained is directed by a proper signal to retrieve the projectile and return it to the trainer. j

` The projectile 116 shown in Figure 6 is in all respects similar tothe projectile i4 except that the outer covering 11211 thereof is provided with a plurality of spaced outwardly extending spikes )di for the purpose of breaking older dogs of the habit of chewing up birds while being' retrieved.

The hammer retracting rod 90 is provided intermedilate its ends with an upstanding lug 89. The lug provides an abutment for the forward end of a coil spring 91 whose rear end abuts a shoulder i12 in the casing'. Thus, the rod 90 is moved rearwardly by the projectile and the spring 91 is compressed, and, as the projectile is projected the spring 91 is freed to move the rear end of the rod 90 away from the boss 92 of the hammer 8G.

While there is shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the structure is susceptible to change and modification within the practicability of the invention and therefore should be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

l. In a gun of the character described, a hollow mechanism casing having -a forward'end, a rear end,- a t'op wall', and a bottom wall, said forward end being providedV with an opening, a hollow barrel having a closed forward end and a closed rear end, said barrel having a rear 'end portion extending -rearwardly through said openingY and anchored within the casing, said barrel having an underside provided with a longitudinal guide slot extending between the forward end of the barrel andl the forward ,end of the casing, a plunger `slidingi'n the, barrel, said plunger having a lateral pin engaged in said guide slot, a plunger projecting spring in said rear portion of the barrel and arranged to be compressed between the rear end of the barrel and the plunger, a retaining lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the casing beneath said rear end portion of the barrel, said retaining lever having a forward end having an upwardly projecting hook located forwardlyl of the forward end of th'e casing, a second lever behind said retaining" lever, said second lever being pivoted intermediate its ends 'on the casing, said second lever having a rear `end and a forward end, the forward end of the second lever having a pin and slot connection with the rear end of the retaining lever, a spring acting between the rear end of the second lever and the casing and yieldably urging the rear end of the second lever upwardly and urging the forward end of the retaining lever upwardly, a trigger eccentricallypivfoted on the bottom wall of the casing at a point adjacent to the connected ends ofthe levers, said levers having undersides, and said trigger having a camportion engaged with the undersides of the levers a`t the connected ends of the levers, the trigger being arranged to be pivoted in a direction to cause said cam portion to elevate the connected ends of the levers and depress vthe forward end of the retaining lever and the rear en'd or" the second lever, n vertically elongatedl hammer positioned in said casing above said second lever and pivoted intermediate its ends in the casing, said hammer having a lower end, `and the rear end of the secon"d' lever having an upwardly projecting hook engaged behind-the lower end of the hammer in a cocked position of the hammer.

2; In a gun as recited by claim l, a projectile comprising a tube s'lidably engaged on the barrel and having a rear endl lateral flange, said forward end of the retaining lever having an upwardly projectingv hook arranged to r'etaina-t'ilyv engage in front of said rear ange only when the projectile has been moved rearwardly along the barrel with said rear ange engaged with said plunger guide pin and has moved the plunger rearwardly to a cocked position wherein the plunger projecting spring is compressed.

3. In a gun recited by claim 1, a vertically elongated hammer positioned in' said casing above said second lever andpivotcd intermediate its ends in the casing, said hammer having a lower end, and the rear end of the second lever having an upwardly projecting hook engaged be- Ihind' the lower end of the hammer in a cocked position of the'hlamme'r, said hfalminer having a head on its upper end, an V'anvil on the top wall of the casing in front of the hammer head, and a hammer driving spring acting between" there'ar wall ofthe casing andthe hammer head and arranged to be tensioned in the cocked position of the hammer, and hammer cocking means comprising a longitudinal rod mounted in the casing for endwise movement; said` rod having a forward end extending forwardly beyond the' front endtof the' casing and a rear end bearing against theha'mmer head, 'and expanding spring means actingV between said` rod Iand a portion of the casing and yieldably urging said rod forwardly away from the hammer head, said rodv being movable rearwardly to cock the hammer.

4. In a; gunl as" recited' by claim l, a projectile comprising a tube slidably engaged on the barrel and having a rear end lateral ilange, said forward end of the retaining lever having anl upwardly projecting hook arranged to retainablyrKA engage in front of said rear flange only when theV projectile has been moved rearwardly along the barrel with said rear ang'e engaged with said plunger guide pin andv has moved the Aplunger rearwardly to a cocked position wherein 'the' plunger projecting spring is compressed, a vertically elongated hammer positioned in said casing abovesaid second lever and pivoted intermediate its ends in the casirigf,-. saidl'hammer having a lower end, and the rear endof the second lever lia'vi'nganv upwardly projecting hook engaged behind the lower end of the hammer in a cocked position of the hammer, said hammer having a head on its upper end, an anvil on the top wall of the casing in front of the hammer head, and a. hammer driving spring acting between the rear wall of the casing and the hammer head and arranged to be tensioned in the cocked position of `the hammer, and hammer cocking means comprising a longitudinal rod mounted in the casing for endwise movement, said rod having a forward end extending forwardly beyond the front end yof the casing and a rear end bearing against the hammer head, and er; ending Ispring means acting between said rod and a portion of the casing and yieldably urging said rod forwardly away from the hammer head, said rod being movable rearwardly to cock the hammer.

5. In a gun :as recited by claim 1, a projectile comprising a tube slidably engaged on thfe barrel and having a rear end lateral flange, said forward end of the retaining lever having an upwardly, projecting hook arranged to retainably engage in front of said rear flange only when the projectile has been moved rearwardly along the barrel with said rear ange engaged with said plunger guide pin and has moved the plunger rearwardly to a cocked position wherein the plunger projecting spring is compressed, `a vertically elongated hammer positioned in said casing above said second lever and pivoted intermediate its ends in the casing, said hammer having a lower end, and the rear end of the second lever having an upwardly projecting hook engaged behind the lower end of the hammer in a cocked position of the hammer, said hammer having a head on its upper end, an anvil on the top w-all of the casing in front of the hammer head, and a hammer driving spring acting between the rear wall of the casing and the hammer head and arranged to be tensioned in the cocked position of the hammer, and hammer cocking means comprising a longitudinal rod mounted in the casing for endwise movement, Isaid rod having a forward end extending forwardly beyond the front end of the casing and a rear end bearing against the hammer head, and expanding spring means acting between said rod and a portion of the casing and yieldably urging said rod forwardly away from the hammer head, said rod being movable rearwardly to cock the hammer, the forward end of the hammer cooking rod being engaged with the rear projectile ange.

6, In a gun of the character described, a hollow mechanism casing having a forward end, a rear end, a top wall, and a bottom wall, said forward end being provided with an opening, a hollow barrel having a closed forward end and a closed rear end, said barrel having a rear end portion extending rearwardly through said opening and anchored within the casing, said barrel having an under side provided with `a longitudinal guide slot extending between the forward end of the barrel and the forward end of the casing, a plunger sliding in the barrel, said plunger having a lateral pin engaged in said guide slot, a plunger projecting spring in said rear portion of the barrel and arranged to be compressed between the rear end of the barrel and the plunger, a retaining lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the casing beneath said rear end portion of 4the barrel, said retaining lever having a forward end having an upwardly projecting hook located forwardly `of the forward end of the casing, a second lever behind `said retaining lever, said second lever being pivoted intermediate its ends on the casing, said second lever having 'a rear end and a forward end, the forward end of ythe second lever having a pin and slot connection with the rear end of the retaining lever, a spring acting between the rear end of the second lever and the casing and yieldably urging the rear end of the second lever upwardly and urging the forward end of the retaining lever upwardly, a trigger eccentrically pivoted on the bottom wall of the casing .at a point adjacent to the connected ends of the levers, said levers having under sides, and said trigger having a cam portion engaged with the under sides of the levers at the connected ends of the levers, the trigger being arranged to be pivoted in a direction to cause said cam portion to elevate the connected ends of the levers and depress the forward end of the retaining lever and -the rear end `of the second lever, a vertically elongated hammer positioned in said casing above Isaid seco-nd lever and pivoted intermedi-ate its ends in the casing, said hammer having `a lower end, and the rear end of the second lever having an upwardly projecting hook engaged behind the lower end of the hammer in a cocked position of the hammer, said hammer having a head on i'ts upper end, an anvil on the top wall -of the casing in front of the hammer head, and a hammer driving spring acting between the rear wall of the casing and the hammer head to be tensioned in the cocked position of the hammer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 335,104 Badger et al Feb. 2, 1886 404,275 Gordon May 28, 1889 723,227 Anthony Mar. 24, 1903 1,565,438 Greife Dec. 15, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS 11,431 France Dec. 15, 1909 (1st addition to No. 400,222) 424,639 France Mar. 18, 1911 

